Pete's story
A tough decision
"Sign up for Sunday league football" read the poster in big letters. Pete, an 11-year old Liverpool fanatic, wanted more than anything else to sign up - well, almost anything. As a Christian, Sunday meetings at his church were an important part of his life. But was he prepared to give them up so he could play football with his friends?
The decision was tough, remembers Pete. "I realized that I could either follow God or make my mind up to believe something else. I think that as a young believer you can lean on your parents' faith, but there comes a time when you have to stand on your own two feet. You were convinced because they were - but now it's your decision."
Not just a Sunday thing
Pete's mum and dad had brought him up in a Christian environment and he went to church meetings each week as well as annual summer camp trips. It was at one of these camps that five-year old Pete had first decided he wanted Jesus to be part of his life. "I came home from one of the kids' meetings and told my mum that I had heard about Jesus and what he'd done, and I wanted to become a Christian. That moment had a big effect on me."
Watching his parents' relationship with God convinced Pete that they were not just going through the motions. "They would talk to God on their own and read the Bible as if this was real - it wasn't just a Sunday thing," Pete recalls. "I was taking all of this in, and it stuck with me."
All of this was a factor in Pete's football decision a few years later. Although he had been 'a bit of a scamp' at school, he had always tried to do the right thing. But now he had to decide if God was worth giving up Sunday league football for. "Up until that point, I had been drifting along. But suddenly I knew I believed for myself that God was real, that he was in my life and that I needed to put him first. From that point, God became even more real to me."
Still passionate
Years later, Pete's decision to put God first has shaped the rest of his life. A proud father of twins (and still a dedicated Liverpool fan), Pete has never regretted the choice he made. "I have never had real doubts that knowing Jesus is the most important thing I could ever do with my life. I'm still passionate about following him."